P220 Pistol
The P220 Pistol is the backup weapon of the Survivors in Left 4 Dead 2, replacing the M1911 Pistol from Left 4 Dead. It is one of the weapons they can use when knocked down, although with a slower rate of fire and greatly decreased accuracy than that of the first game. The Pistol(s) is one of the only weapons that has infinite ammunition. However, they are still limited to a magazine capacity of 15 rounds. Even though they are meant as emergency weapons, Pistols make great secondaries, or even primaries for Grenade Launcher or shotgun users. They pack a punch larger than that of the M16 Assault Rifle, but smaller than the Combat Rifle, and possess better accuracy than most of the Tier 1 weapons. Pistols will usually spawn on the first level of each campaign. This occurs most frequently on Easy and Normal. However, on Advanced and Expert, they are often not available during the first level. Upon picking up a melee weapon, Survivors drop their Pistol (if they are dual-wielding, they will drop both Pistols). However, when they are incapacitated, they still pull out a Pistol, and once revived, the Pistol is no longer part of their inventory and the melee weapon is still in the secondary slot. While illogical, this is due to the fact that a Survivor downed with no handgun of any kind is a sitting duck, and it would be impossible to defend a teammate reviving them. Dual-Wielding If a second Pistol is found, it can be dual-wielded. Once you equip another, that Pistol will be a semi-automatic Glock. Second Pistols are placed periodically by the Director and can also be picked up if dropped by a teammate who has picked up a Magnum, melee weapon, or has died. This allows for twice the ammo capacity, as well as the rate of fire being increased from 300 to 600 RPM. The downside of having two Pistols is that it takes slightly longer to reload, but this delay is marginal and doesn't affect gameplay much. When dual-wielded, the Pistol in the left hand will not have a light. It's the only weapon that can be dual-wielded in the game. Pros and Cons Pros * Can be dual-wielded, unlike the Magnum. * Has a higher rate of fire, firing as fast as you can pull the trigger. * Has a magazine of 15, 30 if dual-wielded, and has infinite ammo. * Has a fast reload. * Good backup for any weapon. * Deals relatively little friendly fire damage. * Can be superior to melee weapons when at beginning of earlier campaigns due to range. Cons * Can range from 1-4 shots to take down the Common Infected (depending on difficulty). * Very low amount of damage towards the Tank and Witch. * Much less effective when incapacitated than the Magnum, due to massive accuracy and firing speed penalties. * Melee weapons often superior in dealing damage at close range. Notes * The P220 Pistol actually does not look at all like the real life SIG Sauer P220 that it claims to be, but it appears to be a composite of SIG Sauer pistols. It has the slide and barrel from a P228 mounted on a P220 frame, with an adjustable rear sight. It also seems to have the safety mechanism from the SAO version of the P220, and it has a custom two-tone finish. * The Glock is based on a composite blend of Glock pistols. The shape of the fore-end of the slide is the shape of some of the subcompact models such as Glock 33, Glock 36, Glock 27, while the dimensions of the Glock itself have the slide length of a standard frame like a Glock 17 or Glock 37, ''but the grip seems stunted and off a slightly smaller compact model like a ''Glock 19. * Unusually, if you pick up a P220 Pistol that another Survivor drops when they pick up a melee weapon or the Magnum, it changes to a Glock. In addition, if you pick up a Glock when you have a melee weapon or Magnum, it changes to a P220. * When a Survivor using a melee weapon is downed and pulls out a Pistol, once they are revived, the Pistol quite simply disappears. It is not in the holster, nor present anywhere else on their person. * The Glock in the dual pistol arrangement uses the single P220 firing sound, while the P220 uses a new sound (possibly the Glock's). * The P220 reuses Left 4 Dead's pistol HUD icons, regardless of its different appearance. * In Realism Mode, using a P220 on a Common Infected can cause body deformation. This may be because in real life, a pistol can blast holes in its target. * If you have one round left in the magazine, or no more rounds left, it will cause the reload time to take more time. If the HUD says two (or more), the reload time will be much faster. * If you shoot all but one round when dual-wielding the Pistols, and you switch to your primary weapon and back to Pistols, after you cock the guns, the P220 will cock itself back. *Even though the P220 appears to be equiped with a laser sight (just below the flashlight), it is never actually used ingame. *In Left 4 Dead 2, the pistol(s) and Magnum Pistol are the only weapons in the game with an "empty reload animation",which means the reload is slightly longer if reloading from an empty magazine. Gallery File:Glock 2.png|The Glock's ground model. File:Sigglock-1-.jpg|The P220 and Glock using the Left 4 Dead dual Pistol's reload animations. File:Pistol_2.png|Coach holding the P220.